https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bi6aT6pfCD4

Nigeria’s uphill battle to spread the country’s wealth

By Samuel Burke & Claire Calzonetti

Africa’s most populous nation, Nigeria, is full of promise. But fulfilling that promise is often a struggle.

Plagued by corruption and mismanagement, the resource-rich country has a poverty rate of over 50%.

Maternal mortality is shockingly high and more than half of Nigerians don’t have access to electricity, according to the World Bank.

Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala is the country’s finance minister and the former World Bank official has been lauded as the reformer Nigeria needs.

But she too isn’t immune from Nigeria’s problems – her own mother was kidnapped for a terrifying five days before being released.

President Goodluck Jonathan promised to address corruption in the country. Nevertheless, a former governor – an ally of Jonathan – has been convicted of embezzling million in public funds and has since been pardoned.

“Nigeria does have a problem with corruption and so do many other countries,” Okonjo-Iweala told CNN’s Christiane Amanpour in an interview that aired Tuesday. “I don’t like the fact that when people mention the name Nigeria the next thing they mention is corruption.” 

Technology could be the answer the problem, Okonjo-Iweala believes.

“We must build electronic platforms. We must distance people from the money. These things were recommended by the world bank and IMF,” she told Amanpour. “We are doing them.”

President Jonathan is calling for the judiciary, the legislative and the executive arm to meet together about this issue all together for the time first Okonjo-Iweala said.

“Because even if you catch somebody, if they go to courts and they are let off lightly the president can’t do anything about that. The judicial system also has to be strengthened,” she said.

“This is a country of 170 million people; 99.9 percent of them are honest, hard-working citizens who just want to get on with their lives,” Okonjo-Iweala said, proudly. “And they want a government that delivers for them.”

Oil should be Nigeria’s saving grace, but oil leakage causes a significant drain on the economy.

“We are still a poor country,” she admitted. “We can’t afford any leakage.”

On tap of that, there is immense oil theft, which Okonjo-Iweala puts at 150,000 barrels stolen a day. She compared the situation to Mexico, which sees tens of thousands of barrels stolen each day.

“We need them to treat this oil like stolen diamonds. The blood diamonds,” she said – calling on the international community for assistance. “Make it blood oil. Help us so those people don’t have a market to sell this stuff.”

Nigeria is also plagued by problems with its electrical grid.

When the country’s president last appeared on CNN, he told Amanpour, “That is one area that Nigerians are quite pleased with the government, that’s a commitment to improve power. It’s working. So if you are saying something different, I’m really surprised.”

That interview caused an uproar in Nigeria, with many of the county’s very active social media citizens taking to Twitter and Facebook to voice their frustrations with the power grid and President Jonathan’s comments.

Okonjo-Iweala said the power problems all come down to previous government’s lack of investment.

“If you’ve neglected a sector for that long, you’ve not invested, you’ve not even maintained your basic facilities, it’s not going to happen that fast. It takes time,” she said.

While Nigerians often complain of power outages – telling CNN they often have to use generators to watch the news channel –  Okonjo-Iweala maintained there has been improvement.

“That month, when you interviewed the president,” she said, referring to Amanpour’s previous interview of Jonathan, “the polls showed, independently, scientifically that they are in technical partnership with dialogue. That 54 percent of Nigerians felt there was some improvement,” she told Amanpour.

“Nigeria is not the only country. Almost every developing country has a problem with power, as you know. India has it. South Africa has it. South Africa is far better off because they’ve invested much more.
But many developing countries, even China, they are struggling with keeping up with infrastructure,” she said.

Okonjo-Iweala said that the administration has accepted that the government is not the best place to run the power sector.

“If we want this country and this economy to do better, we just have to get out. And Nigeria is pursuing one of the most sweeping privatization programs in any country in the world,” she said. “We are selling off everything.”

That said, the lights even went out on President Jonathan during a speech he gave a speech in front of cameras just this past Easter day.

Source : http://amanpour.blogs.cnn.com/2013/04/16/nig…

Full Transcript

AMANPOUR: Dr. Okonjo-Iweala, welcome to the program.

NGOZI OKONJO-IWEALA, NIGERIAN FINANCE MINISTER: Thank you for having me.

AMANPOUR: Great to have you.

OKONJO-IWEALA: Thank you.

AMANPOUR: Nigeria is a huge and important country. We have many, many viewers from Nigeria, always very active and very interested. So it's great to have you here.

OKONJO-IWEALA: Thank you.

AMANPOUR: You have said and others have said, that 2013 is going to be a real game-changing year, a turning point year for Nigeria, particularly in your area of finance and economics.

How?

OKONJO-IWEALA: Well, it's going to be a game-changer and a turning point, because this is the year we are going to produce results. And we're already producing results within the administration.

First, on the economic side, I just want to say that macroeconomic stability has been restored. Now, nobody should minimize that. Remember, there were two lost decades in Africa, in the '80s and '90s, where there was so much macro instability that people could not even focus on sectors that could create jobs.

Now things have gone right. We've got growth that is at 6.5 percent last year and we're projecting for 2013, also, around the same number compared to average 5 percent on the African continent.

Now, I just want to say that when you mention GDP growth, people immediately say we can -- in my country, they say we can't eat growth; because we have unemployment challenges, we need to create more jobs. We have a challenge of inclusion. We have problems of inequality.

All those are challenges we face.

AMANPOUR: You are obviously a passionate defender of your country. You are a person who calls for transparency and honesty and best practices.

There is a huge problem with corruption in your country. The president promised to address this stuff. And the latest is that an ally of his, a former governor who was convicted of stealing millions of dollars, has been pardoned, embezzling $55 million in public funds.

Now, the U.S. calls that a setback for the fight against corruption.

I mean how do you answer that?

OKONJO-IWEALA: How do I answer that question?

OK, listen to what I have to say on corruption. And I think I have quite a bit to say. I wrote a book recently where I also had a whole chapter on that issue called, "Reforming the Unreformable."

Nigeria does have a problem with corruption. And so do many other countries, including developed countries. I don't like the fact that when people mention the name Nigeria, the next thing they say is corruption.

This is a country of 170 million people; 99.9 percent of them are honest, hard-working citizens who just want to get on with their lives and they want a government that delivers for them.

What we've said is that in order to help block any leakages and help to, you know, stop any attempts at corruption or taking monies, we must build electronic platforms. We must distance people from the money.

These things were recommended by the World Bank and the IMF. I used to work at the World Bank. We are doing them.

And I strongly believe that we lack institutions. We lack processes.

Now, what President Goodluck Jonathan has done now is to call the judiciary, the legislature and the executive arm for the first time to meet together on this issue and say, this is not just about government, this is about all of us coming together, because even if you catch somebody, they go to the courts and they are let off lightly.

The president can't do anything about that. The judicial system also has to be strengthened.

Legislators also have to crack down. They themselves have to work at also being transparent and helping the executive.

But for me, also, in addition to doing that, we need to stop talking and identify the specifics, like you mentioned oil leakages. Let me mention two things quickly.

The first one is the oil theft that is 150,000 barrels a day --

AMANPOUR: Which is huge.

OKONJO-IWEALA: -- a month -- which is huge. Yes. I admit that. And we can't afford -- I'll tell you; my thesis on corruption is we are still a poor country. We cannot afford any leakage.

We also need the international community to weigh in. We have -- Mexico and Nigeria are suffering from this problem, you can check. Mexico has (inaudible) losing 25,000 barrels a day. And they found (inaudible).

In our case, we have international people who also buy that stolen oil. We need them to treat this stolen oil like stolen diamonds, the blood diamonds. Make it blood oil. Help us so that those people don't have a market to sell this stuff.

That's one. And we ourselves should commit to fighting -- and we are fighting that.

AMANPOUR: Let me ask you about that, because you also have challenges with electricity. You mentioned you're very rich in oil and people just simply don't understand why there still seem to be so many problems with electricity.

And it might seem, you know, weird to pick on that one thing, but it is very prevalent. I asked your president about this during an interview I did by satellite when he was at the World Economic Forum in Davos.

Let's just see what he had to say to me.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOODLUCK JONATHAN, PREISDENT OF NIGERIA: That is one area that Nigerians are quite pleased with the government, that's a commitment to improve power. It's working. So if you are saying something different, I'm really surprised. That is one area, one area that we will -- civil society members agree that government has kept faith with its promise.

AMANPOUR: Now, that interview caused a bit of a hullabaloo, as I think you know, in Nigeria. And yet, the World Bank has said that half -- more than half the Nigerian population doesn't have any access to the power grid.

OKONJO-IWEALA: As you know, Nigeria became a democracy again when President Obasanjo came into power in 1999. Two decades prior to that, there was hardly any investment in electricity.

If you've neglected a sector for that long, you've not invested, you've not even maintained your basic facilities, it's not going to happen that fast. It takes time.

That month, when you interviewed the president, the polls showed, independently, scientifically (inaudible) that they are in technical partnership with dialogue. That 54 percent of Nigerians felt there was some improvement. They do it monthly.

Now this month, they've surveyed and they've showed this going down, because 800 megawatts has been taken off the grid, which is while they are maintaining the grid.

AMANPOUR: Well, let me ask you, because businesses apparently say that this problem with electricity is causing them to, you know, be reluctant to invest.

(CROSSTALK)

AMANPOUR: They need this investment...

OKONJO-IWEALA: Nigeria is not the only country. Almost every developing country has a problem with power, as you know. India has it. South Africa has it. South Africa is far better off because they've invested much more.

But many developing countries, even China, they are struggling with keeping up with infrastructure.

Now, what we are doing in Nigeria?

We have accepted that the government is not the best place to run the power sector, that if we want this country and this economy to do better, we just have to get out. And Nigeria is pursuing one of the most sweeping privatization programs in any country in the world.

We are selling off everything. The generation capacity, the distribution capacity in the country, government is only retaining one thing -- transmission.

AMANPOUR: Well, on that note, Madam Minister, thank you for joining me.

OKONJO-IWEALA: Thank you, Christiane, for having me.

Whenever I see this lady, I can't but think of two things...hahaha...
Puff puff and an amphibian... If you call the name, na you sabi.
Btw, FTC.

What an embarrassment, even worse than elebel Jonathan abdul el reterdeen odechukwu's encounter with CNN.

Why lie to the CNN woman all over again like her OGA @ THE TOP did before? I bet the CNN woman shook her head at the fact that Nigerian leaders are all corrupt chronic and habitual liars..

smh..

Lie go burst for your belle,since your jaw never burst,Amanpour knows Nigeria more than you. Why lie to yourself?

Dont tell me nonsense. Eyin boys....è gba oju è.

Eko Ile: What an embarrassment, even worse than elebel Jonathan abdul el reterdeen odechukwu's encounter with CNN.

Why lie to the CNN woman all over again like her OGA @ THE TOP did before? I bet the CNN woman shook her head at the fact that Nigerian leaders are all corrupt chronic and habitual liars..

smh..

I can't see any lie in what she has said,if the power situation has not improved in your areq,it has improved very significantly where I live.

don33310: Lie go burst for your belle,since your jaw never burst,Amanpour knows Nigeria
more than you. Why lie to yourself?

You choose to hate. She said the obvious,at least in my area

Seunn11: Whenever I see this lady, I can't but think of two things...hahaha...
Puff puff and an amphibian... If you call the name, na you sabi.
Btw, FTC.

You can do well by posting us with your beautiful picture so that we can judge between you and her who is more beautiful.

genxris:
I can't see any lie in what she has said,if the power situation has not improved in your areq,it has improved very significantly where I live.

Save your lies and rubbish for your kind and laptop patrol squad..

Amanpour also made mention of Okonjo Iweala of being a passionate defender of Nigeria.
I actually saw her as a capitalist agent. She is in Nigeria for a mission. She is well educated but common man won't benefit from her policies.
They have sold so many things from the Obasanjo days, and now she is back to sell the remaining ones without a single alternatives.
By the time she is done with Nigeria, only God will save us.
All she will be telling you will be poll results and statistical analysis, but food and basic amenities we may not have.

so if light has improved in one small neighborhood does that mean light has improved in the whole country? or are some NLers daft?

In4matic: so if light has improved in one small neighborhood does that mean light has improved in the whole country? or are some NLers daft?

Daftness is not confined to GEJ, it's equally synonymous with his followers...

genxris:
I can't see any lie in what she has said,if the power situation has not improved in your areq,it has improved very significantly where I live.

“This is a country of 170 million people; 99.9 percent of them are honest, hard-working citizens who just want to get on with their lives,” Okonjo-Iweala said, proudly.

This woman can LIE!

Eko Ile:



Save your lies and rubbish for your kind and laptop patrol squad..

I stay in enugu and I say, yes, power has improved. She is a patriotic nigerian and defends nigeria's and nigerian interest. She told no lie in that interview she granted. If she did, pls point it out..

Okonjo-Iweala said the power problems all come down to previous government’s lack of investment.

“If you’ve neglected a sector for that long, you’ve not invested, you’ve not even maintained your basic facilities, it’s not going to happen that fast. It takes time,” she said.

Over to you Obj!

Some people will just bring their daftness to nairaland thinking only their "opinion" counts regarding all others as fo0ls. This is a free forum for all, if you can't stand the opinions of others, then play ludo or hold your peace

They(critics) were all dissapointed with her comment but one thing they fail to understand is that by her virtue as one of d world global thinkers she new d damage any negative comment by her(Dr NOI is not any Nigerian globally as she commands a huge earned respect.) will do to the transforming Nigeria.
As for a any significant development in power distribution? Yes my aunty is right because i can testify to that.
D critics will never stop criticising.
To avoid criticism, YOU MUST BE NOTHING,DO NOTHING AND SAY NOTHING.
I'm impressed and proud by/of her.

Akshow: Dont tell me nonsense. Eyin boys....è gba oju è.

Skiibanj, u don land?



NOI: see face like eba ibo wey dem match

luli4life: Nigeria’s uphill battle to spread the country’s wealth

16



Posted at

Categories: Latest Episode, Nigeria

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By Samuel Burke & Claire Calzonetti

Africa’s most populous nation, Nigeria, is full of promise. But fulfilling that promise is often a struggle.

Plagued by corruption and mismanagement, the resource-rich country has a poverty rate of over 50%.

Maternal mortality is shockingly high and more than half of Nigerians don’t have access to electricity, according to the World Bank.

Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala is the country’s finance minister and the former World Bank official has been lauded as the reformer Nigeria needs.

But she too isn’t immune from Nigeria’s problems – her own mother was kidnapped for a terrifying five days before being released.

President Goodluck Jonathan promised to address corruption in the country. Nevertheless, a former governor – an ally of Jonathan – has been convicted of embezzling million in public funds and has since been pardoned.

“Nigeria does have a problem with corruption and so do many other countries,” Okonjo-Iweala told CNN’s Christiane Amanpour in an interview that aired Tuesday. “I don’t like the fact that when people mention the name Nigeria the next thing they mention is corruption.” 

Technology could be the answer the problem, Okonjo-Iweala believes.

“We must build electronic platforms. We must distance people from the money. These things were recommended by the world bank and IMF,” she told Amanpour. “We are doing them.”

President Jonathan is calling for the judiciary, the legislative and the executive arm to meet together about this issue all together for the time first Okonjo-Iweala said.

“Because even if you catch somebody, if they go to courts and they are let off lightly the president can’t do anything about that. The judicial system also has to be strengthened,” she said.

“This is a country of 170 million people; 99.9 percent of them are honest, hard-working citizens who just want to get on with their lives,” Okonjo-Iweala said, proudly. “And they want a government that delivers for them.”

Oil should be Nigeria’s saving grace, but oil leakage causes a significant drain on the economy.

“We are still a poor country,” she admitted. “We can’t afford any leakage.”

On tap of that, there is immense oil theft, which Okonjo-Iweala puts at 150,000 barrels stolen a day. She compared the situation to Mexico, which sees tens of thousands of barrels stolen each day.

“We need them to treat this oil like stolen diamonds. The blood diamonds,” she said – calling on the international community for assistance. “Make it blood oil. Help us so those people don’t have a market to sell this stuff.”

Nigeria is also plagued by problems with its electrical grid.

When the country’s president last appeared on CNN, he told Amanpour, “That is one area that Nigerians are quite pleased with the government, that’s a commitment to improve power. It’s working. So if you are saying something different, I’m really surprised.”

That interview caused an uproar in Nigeria, with many of the county’s very active social media citizens taking to Twitter and Facebook to voice their frustrations with the power grid and President Jonathan’s comments.

Okonjo-Iweala said the power problems all come down to previous government’s lack of investment.

“If you’ve neglected a sector for that long, you’ve not invested, you’ve not even maintained your basic facilities, it’s not going to happen that fast. It takes time,” she said.

While Nigerians often complain of power outages – telling CNN they often have to use generators to watch the news channel –  Okonjo-Iweala maintained there has been improvement.

“That month, when you interviewed the president,” she said, referring to Amanpour’s previous interview of Jonathan, “the polls showed, independently, scientifically that they are in technical partnership with dialogue. That 54 percent of Nigerians felt there was some improvement,” she told Amanpour.

“Nigeria is not the only country. Almost every developing country has a problem with power, as you know. India has it. South Africa has it. South Africa is far better off because they’ve invested much more.
But many developing countries, even China, they are struggling with keeping up with infrastructure,” she said.

Okonjo-Iweala said that the administration has accepted that the government is not the best place to run the power sector.

“If we want this country and this economy to do better, we just have to get out. And Nigeria is pursuing one of the most sweeping privatization programs in any country in the world,” she said. “We are selling off everything.”

That said, the lights even went out on President Jonathan during a speech he gave a speech in front of cameras just this past Easter day.

Source : http://amanpour.blogs.cnn.com/2013/04/16/nig…

this summary, cant we have full trancript of the interview

luli4life: Okonjo-Iweala said the power problems all come down to previous government’s lack of investment.

“If you’ve neglected a sector for that long, you’ve not invested, you’ve not even maintained your basic facilities, it’s not going to happen that fast. It takes time,” she said.

It is easy to criticise.
Very easy.
Meanwhile the leading critics who are in the "progressive opposition" have been unable to provide pipeborne water all over Lagos despite 14 years in power continuously as AD/AC/ACN under Tinubu and Fashola administration.
Basic facilities in Lagos are worse off than they were 30 years ago when UPN's Lateef Jakande was overthrown and jailed by Ayatollah Buhari.




_____________________________________________
2015 - Next Level Democracy.
Join a political party in your LG ward with folks & friends NOW!

POWER IMPROVED?

WHERE?

If i hear!

The past government of 14 years still remain the same or is it not the same pdp?

She served under obasanjo who invested billions of dollars to generate 0 megawatt, so which past govt is she talking about?



Typing from my phone being charged via my external battery charger.

[size=14pt]I've been looking for the video for a while. Does anyone have a link please?[/size]

Madam , u too brilliant
Fine job

genxris:
I can't see any lie in what she has said,if the power situation has not improved in your areq,it has improved very significantly where I live.

and because it has improved in your area means it has improved all over the country?keep deceiving yourself,nothing has changed

Politician-cum-Finance Minister

If only dis woman can become Nigeria's president come 2015...

How much did the federal Govt pay for the release of her mama? anyone with the figure? These people are not transparent at all.. They are all the same. I can't imagine what i will do to this woman if i find her on the street one on one?

IYA NGBALI: and because it has improved in your area means it has improved all over the country?keep deceiving yourself,nothing has changed

So because it hasn't improved in your area means it cant improve anywhere else? May be you should stop living under the bridge.
Rent a house...

. i like how she cleverly avoided the alamiseya's pardon question, she just started talking and diverting the interview. Loyal to her oga@ the top .

I know they don't have anything reasonable to say,so am not surprised. No matter how clean you are, as long a you compromise and start allowing little little stains, you will be completely soiled in no time. Ngozi, ndo o. People already see you as one of them,your good image is completely tarnished,it's when you leave this government the reality will dawn on you

“This is a country of 170 million people; 99.9 percent of them are honest, hard-working citizens who just want to get on with their lives,” Okonjo-Iweala said, proudly. “And they want a government that delivers for them.”

liberty300: I stay in enugu and I say, yes, power has improved. She is a patriotic nigerian and defends nigeria's and nigerian interest. She told no lie in that interview she granted. If she did, pls point it out..

Please tell me what her response was when Amanpour asked about the amnesty granted to Alams ? Light is improving yet Amanpour aired a live programme by jonathan during the easter holidays where there was power outage and iweala was just sitting there yarning rubbish ? I guess Amanpour got pissed about her lies and suddenly decide to cut her short to end her session.

I don't know why Nigerians are supporting a government that doesn't care about them.Its time you held your leaders accountable and insist they deliver !

Nigeria is too rich to be poor and too poor to be rich

I watched it live dude.